Learning things, finding things, planning things. IDK about you, but search engines blow fucking hard lately, good luck finding a blog or a forum site about a topic anymore. Most very modern local models are quite good at presenting information correctly if you already know what you don't know. I like using it to teach and practice things I wouldn't have access to otherwise. School is hard for me, I learn things unconventionally. I can promt a model to exercise and train me on topics they way I understand them. It's basically impossible otherwise. Having time to 1:1 meet with a tenured research professor at a university teaching phd classes and asking them questions on your own time doesn't exist. Not for any reasonable amount of money, or without enrolling into a program you don't want.

Like: remind me how a forcing function works when used to evaluate the frequency response of a linear system.
Or: How can I practically switch to double entry accounting in my business?

with local models you can be a bit less privacy conscious and allow it to give you more relevant results based on _your_ work.